Folding box.



W. .I. HALL.

FOLDING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20. 1915.

1,269,706, Patented June 18, 1918.

a I ,1 a

Z WE n F STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. HALL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF '10 (lHABLESMILLS,

OF CINCINNATI, O HIO. v

. FOLDING BOX.-

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 18, 1918.

Application filed October 20, 1915. Serial No. 56,970.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JJHALL, residing at Cincinnati, Hamiltoncounty,

State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFolding Boxes, of which the following is a clear, full, and exactdescr'iptiomattention being called to the drawing which accompanies thisapplication and forms a part thereof.

This invention concerns boxes formed of blanks which consist of foldablematerial, like heavy paper, card-board or paste-board for instance andare cut to a certain shape which contains the sides of the box so that,when such blanks are folded in a certain manner, said sides may bearranged to engage each other in proper relative position to form theboxes and to close the same.

The principal object of this invention is to produce a box of thischaracter which, after iaving been formed out of the blank therefor,retains its shape and the sides of which maintain their respectiverelative positions and also their box-closing engagement witheach otherwithout the aid of additional sustaining means such as wrapping paper,twine or devices involving the use of an adhesive substance likeso-called stickers.

This feature renders this box a very desirable medium for shippingpurposes in any manner as for instance through the mails and moreparticularly through the parcel post service thereof, inasmuch as thearrangement is such that inspection of the contents is rendered possiblewithout impairing the security of the box.

The invention concerns more particularly improvements in the boxillustrated in Patent No. 1,158,047, applied for by me and issued onOctober 26th, 1915, the object of the improvements being to produce aconstruction which permits the use of blanks in which the waste ofmaterial is reduced to the lowest possible minimum. Other effectsobtained by the improvements are increased convenience in packing andincreased compactness and security of the closed box by reducing thenumber of edges of the blank which appear at the longitudinal corners ofthe box.

The invention consists of the construction as, hereinafter described andclaimed and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

,Figure 1. shows at reduced scale a planerogress e stage Fig. 4; is alongitudinal section of the I closed and locked box, and r Fig. 5. is across-section of the same.

In the drawing A indicates the bottom of the box. Letters BB indicatethe sides thereof contiguous to the bottom. 'The top is formed by twoflaps CD which are overlapped for the purpose, one contiguous to eachone of the sides and continuous therewith. The sides are held to eachother by locking flaps EE at one end of the box and by locking flaps F-Fat the other end and when said fiaps are interlocked with each other asshown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. These locking flaps form continuous parts ofsides BB, extending from their upright edges, there being such a flap ateach one of these edges. When so interlocked, they hold these sides inproper relative position with reference to each other and to bottom A,to form the box.

To permit such interlocking, these locking flaps are notched as shown ate-e and at ff respectively, and their inter-engagement is effected inthe manner illustrated in Fig. 2, and while sides BB are being bent upto position.

Before this is being done flaps G, one at each end of bottom A are bentup so that one is inside of flaps E-E and the other inside of flaps FF,after these flaps are engaged to each other. The box so formed is nowready for use and retains its shape to permit packing which may bereadily done in the most convenient manner.

, While this is being done, particular attention is paid to the placingof the contents which are closely crowded against said flaps G G, sothat these latter are pushed outwardly and against the locking flaps ateach end whereby these flaps are closely held in their engagementremaining securely locked and maintaining the box in compact shape.After that, the box is closed for which purpose flap C is first turnedin as indicated in Fig. 2 so as to cover the contents of the box. Nextflap D is turned over flap G as shown in Fig. 3, forming the outer top,after which the closure is completed by looking this top in position.

For the purpose of such locking closing flaps I-IH which terminate inlocking tongues JJ are used, both being continuous at each end ofthe'top flap D. Y Flaps H H are first turned down and against theinterlocked locking flaps E E and F F respectively, as shown in Fig. 3,so as to hold these flaps flat down against each other and against.

upstanding flaps G G. Finally locking tongues J J are pushed in upwardlyone at one end of the box between the interlocked locking flaps E E andupstanding flap G inside, which contacts with them and the other betweenthe interlocked locking flaps F F at the other end of the box and theupstanding fiap G inside, which contacts with them and as shown in Fig.3, at farther end of the box and in Fig. 4. After soinserted the lockingtongues are held in their respective inserted positions by thefrictional resistance due to close contact between the interlockedlocking flaps and the upstanding flaps G G inside and which flaps exerta clamping action upon the tongues inserted between them, which actionis materially aided by the contents of the box, which are closely packedagainst said upstanding flaps G G and whereby they are backed up.

Furthermore, there is nothing which would favor disengagement of thesetongues because such disengagement would presume a simultaneous bendingof the material at points which must continuously shift as the tonguespass out from their respective positions between the locking flaps andthe upstanding flaps. However, such bending cannot occur because it isresisted by the material. Nevertheless, this locking engagement is notpositive and the resistance of the material is readily overcome ifpositive manual action is applied as is done when access to the contentsis desired.

It will now be seen that such a box may be quickly formed from a blankconstructed as shown and may also be securely closed and locked andthereafter remain so locked withmenace one piece of material.

Having described my invention, I claim as new:

A folding box formed of a blank which contains the various parts of thebox, viz. the

bottom, the sidewalls continuous with opposite edges of the bottom,locking flaps, one at each end of each side-wall and continuous withthem, said flaps being notched, the two flaps at each end of the boxbeing complementary to each other and adapted to interlock so as to holdthe body of the box in shape for packing, a flap at one end of thebottom and adapted to occupy an upstandin position against' the insideof the interlocke locking flaps at that end, a similar flap at the otherend of the bottom and adapted to occupy a similar position against theinside 'of the interlocked locking flaps at the other end, a top flapcontinuous with one of the side-walls adapted to be folded down over thecontents of the box after being packed, another top fla continuous withthe other side-wall and a apted to be folded down over the other topflap first folded down, a closing flap at one end of this latter topflap adapted to occupy a position against the outside of the interlockedlocking flaps at one end of the box, a similar closing flap at the otherend of this top flap adapted to occupy a position against the outside ofthe interlocked locking flaps at the other end of the box and lockingtongues continuous with each of these closing flaps and adapted tooccupy positions between the interlocked locking flaps at each end ofthe box and the upstanding flaps on the inside thereof thereby securelylocking the closed box without aid of extraneous fastening means and ina manner to permit opening of the box without destruction of any of itsparts.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix'my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

' WILLIAM J. HALL.

Witnesses:

CHARLEs MILLS, G. SPENGEL.

